NMSU FOOTBALL: Aggies Ume-Ezeoke looks forward to continuing career

LAS CRUCES >> Former New Mexico State football player Valerian Ume-Ezeoke is confident he will have an opportunity to continue his career sometime in the next three days.

Ume-Ezeoke will be in Las Cruces watching this weekend's NFL Draft hoping to hear his name called, but the 2015 All Sun Belt Conference center won't stop working toward a pro career if he's not drafted.

"I'm expecting to either get drafted or at least get a shot as a free agent," said Ume-Ezeoke, who said he has talked to 10 pro teams since the 2014 season ended. "It's looking bright right now."

Ume-Ezeoke took part in a Dallas Day workout in April, hosted by the Dallas Cowboys.

"I had a good workout and it was good to be able to showcase my skills in front of a NFL team," Ume-Ezeoke said. "It basically showed you what your strengths and weaknesses are."

Ume-Ezeoke said he has tried to determine what makes a good NFL center throughout the past four months.

"You have to be quick, strong and smart and I feel like I have done those things," Ume-Ezeoke said.

Ume-Ezeoke played with former Aggies offensive lineman Davonte Wallace, who signed a free agent contract with the Miami Dolphins following the conclusion of last year's NFL Draft.

"(Wallace) was a quality player at New Mexico State," Ume-Ezeoke said. "We have the same intangibles so I feel like I should be able to get a shot."

The Aggies have played a spread offense the past two years with a zone blocking scheme.

"I feel like I'm capable of playing in any type of offense," Ume-Ezeoke said. "New Mexico State ran different offenses with a pro style and a spread. But a team that plays a zone scheme would be a positive for me because that is what we have done the last two years."

The NFL Draft continues today through the seventh round on Saturday on ESPN and ESPN2.